Self feeding with fork/spoon- What age & How to train?

Hi everyone! My question is, at what age did your kids start using a fork/spoon to feed themselves. My doc says before 15 mo. they really can't dem. the coordination, but I think our girls will never learn, seeing them at 13 mo... Also, any tips for teaching/training/introducing utensils would be helpful.
Thanks!

 

mine are one year and I have just started giving them utensils at meals. They really don't "get it" yet, but they try for the fun of it. They are better with forks then spoons because they just like to jab at stuff and then when they get lucky they are all excited! I just show them. I hold their hand with the fork and stab something and help it to their mouths. It's mostly for fun right now.

I don't really know when they ever "learn" my 2yo still prefers to eat with his hands! :laughing:

 

I just kept giving them the spoon and fork and now all of a sudden (well a couple of months ago - around 2) they just DO IT. There was NO training and it just sorta happened. I showed them and speared a few things for them on occasion, but that's about it!) Relax and let it happen!

 

Relax, they are not going to head off to college with mommy still spoon feeding them. It will happen in good time.

Mine have been playing with utensils since around 1 year or so, but for the longest time they just waved them around and banged them on the table. Around 18 months they sort of started getting the idea, but honestly a lot of times now with many foods they still just use their fingers to pick it up because it's easier for them. Spoons, on the other hand, they are the masters! They can eat Cheerios & milk like nobody's business!

 

QUOTE(~* dfaut *~ @ May 29 2007, 08:00 PM) [snapback]272357[/snapback]
I just kept giving them the spoon and fork and now all of a sudden (well a couple of months ago - around 2) they just DO IT. There was NO training and it just sorta happened. I showed them and speared a few things for them on occasion, but that's about it!) Relax and let it happen!


Ditto! I gave them spoons and/or forks just to hold and play with from 12 months on. Around 16 months, they started using the spoons, not very well though. After 18 months or so, they were pretty proficient. Really no training involved, they just did it.

 

I would not have thought to start so early, but our daycare started giving them forks and spoons at 12 months. The teacher said "They mostly throw the utensils and then eat with their hands," but at least they got used to the idea. Anyway, after she told me that, I started giving mine spoons at 13 months and was astonished to find that Sarah knew how to use it! She has been eating her yogurt with a spoon ever since. Amy understands the idea but is too impatient (and doesn't really like yogurt, anyway). But she is very excited about her toddler fork, even though she mostly picks up the food with one hand and jams it onto the fork.

 

I began giving my girls a fork or a spoon as soon as they started self-feeding. They are now 19 months, and they use it sometimes, and other times they hold it in one hand, and pick up their food with the other! I figure they will eventually get it - but for now it is good practice for them; plus they see me using it when I eat and they want one too. I agree that they do use the fork much better than the spoon though!!

I don't think there is a "set age" for giving it to them, it seemed to work for us just giving it to them earlier than later. Good luck!

 

good question - this will be helpful for me as my 2 still aren't REAL interested in even feeding themselves - unless of course it's cheerios - they can stuff them in like nobody's business!

 

When we started feeding them solids we always gave them a spoon to keep their hands busy. They started using a spoon to eat at about 12 months and still got half their food down the front of them. They started using a fork well at 14 months and we constantly get compliments from older folks on how well they do for their age(mostly I think because they are using a normal sized fork!). They still eat with their hands from time to time but are very good with their utensils (but they have overall great hand eye corrdination). Good foods for praticing spoon use are yogurt, oatmeal and cream of wheat because all are foods not easily eaten with their hands.

 

Gerber makes these little tools that aren't a fork or a spoon. It's more of a dipping stick. I have used this several times, but admittedly am not consistent. I think it's time that I get them out again...